News Feature | September 23, 2014

PHM Targets Medicaid Patients, Improves Engagement

Katie Wike

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

Medicaid Population Health Management

Improving patient/provider communication through targeted efforts has increased patient engagement in Oregon.

In Oregon, population health management (PHM) is helping to target Medicaid populations and increasing not only their communication with their providers, but their overall engagement. This means better medication adherence and teaching at risk populations to take charge of their own health, tasks that can be difficult for some as chronic conditions are common among those on Medicaid and maintaining those conditions can be difficult.

“You have to remember, this is a Medicaid population, and many of our members are very poor,” Dr. Margie Rowland, CMO of CareOregon, said to Health IT Analytics. “Many of them have literacy issues, and they also have social issues that are impacting their ability to interface appropriately with the healthcare system. That’s a pervasive issue in our population. It’s not just about taking the right pills or coming back for appointments, but it’s making sure people actually understand their illness and understand what questions to ask, or getting help with transportation to their provider. It’s not just health literacy. It’s literacy in general.”

Since the launch of this program, CareOregon increased patient satisfaction rate from 79.2 percent to 98.8 percent. In addition:

  • 84 percent of patients who discussed better ways to communicate with their physicians reported that the conversations helped them to convey their questions and concerns in a more effective manner
  • 80 percent of those surveyed about the population health management program believed that their clinician made a measurable difference in how their handled their health issues
  • 96 percent were highly satisfied with their personal clinician

Patients also showed higher levels of confidence in self-care, improvements in exercise levels, better eating choices, and better ability to cope with stresses produced by their health issues.

“The tools necessary to assist the population really depend on the severity of the individual,” Rowland added. “We consider the synergy program as a strategy for people with chronic illness who are not overly sick. We have a more intensive telephonic case management program for those who are sicker: for those who are really challenged, we actually bring healthcare workers to their homes to help them. This population management program targets that middle-grade population in the Medicaid arena. We have those who are dealing with chronic illness, and often with biopsychosocial issues, and they do need support, but then there are also those who are sicker who need more intensive interventions, so this is a piece of a more comprehensive strategy.”